depressed

American  

[dih-prest] / dɪˈprɛst /

adjective

1. sad and gloomy; dejected; downcast.

   Synonyms:

   morbid, blue, miserable, despondent, morose

   Antonyms:

   happy

2. pressed down, or situated lower than the general surface.

3. lowered in force, amount, etc.

4. undergoing economic hardship, especially poverty and unemployment.

5. being or measured below the standard or norm.

6. Botany, Zoology. flattened down; greater in width than in height.

7. Psychiatry. having or experiencing depression.

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depressed British  

/ dɪˈprɛst /

adjective

1. low in spirits; downcast; despondent

2. lower than the surrounding surface

3. pressed down or flattened

4. Also: distressed.  characterized by relative economic hardship, such as unemployment

   a depressed area

5. lowered in force, intensity, or amount

6. (of plant parts) flattened as though pressed from above

7. zoology flattened from top to bottom

   the depressed bill of the spoonbill

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Other Word Forms

• nondepressed
  adjective
• quasi-depressed
  adjective
• subdepressed
  adjective
• undepressed
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of depressed

From a late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at depress, -ed ²

Explanation

When stocks are depressed they are worth less than they should be. When people are depressed they are sad and lack energy. Depressed means down in spirit or value. While you'll often hear people say they are depressed, mostly they mean they are sad. If you are clinically depressed, you have a sadness and hopelessness that has physical effects and no logical reason behind it and you can't seem to shake it either. If someone calls their town or region depressed, they mean that the economy in that area is not good — in that place jobs are hard to find, and have been for quite a while. Sad, right?

Example Sentences

But many more commodities are affected than during the first Gulf War, the Iranian Revolution or the Arab Oil Embargo, all three of which depressed the global economy.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

If Disney had to sell the stations, the price would probably be depressed due to pressure to unload the properties.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

There’s even evidence that a baby who refuses to sleep can make you depressed, something that, if you know enough parents or have kids yourself you might not need a study to tell you.

From Slate • May 3, 2026

I know some investors who are interested in buying the depressed shares of alternative asset managers, but it seems early.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

Two times I got very depressed and sad because I couldn’t take care of myself as a man.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

• desolate
• despondent
• discouraged
• miserable
• morose
• not happy
• pessimistic
• sad
• unhappy